Corn-crib.



No. 787,550. PATENTED APR. 18, 1905.

' A. J. ANDREWS. I

CORN CRIB.

AEILIOATION FILED NOV. 30,1903

In: R

U; EiE D 0 Suva-14 l'oz wjmYwwgglgm Patented April 18, 19%

PATENT ()FFICE.

ARTHUR JOHN ANDREWS, OF MELBOURNE, IOWA.

CORN-CRIB.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,550, dated April 18, 1905.

Application filed November 30, 1903. Serial No. 183,131.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR JOHN ANDREWS, a citizen of the United States, residing in Melbourne, county of Marshall, in the State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in the Construction of Corn- Uribs, of which the followingis a specification.

The framework of the crib is made, as usual,

-with upright studdings of wood at proper moderate distances apart. To these studdings are removably secured, by the means to be set forth below, horizontal boards extending across the spaces between the studdings. These boards may be of the ordinary dimensions; but it is important that they be approximately uniform in breadth and thickness. The crib when completed presents proper space to hold the corn and to allow a liberal space between each board and the next, through which air may circulate, but not sufficiently large to allow the corn to escape. It will be understood that the corn is in the ear. There may be all the ordinary range of sizes of ears of corn.

My crib allows great uniformity in the spacing of the boards apart. It is particularly useful in the great facility with which the boards may be successively applied as the crib is filled and again removed one by one, commencing at the top'as the crib is emptied.

I provide aset of peculiar fastenings loosely pivoted at appropriate intervals up and down one side of each of the upright studdings of wood. As the boards are successivelyapplied these fastenings are swung over and caused to engage each with the board below and hold it firmly in position and at the same time present a hook or holding-prong to receive the lower edge of the next board above.

The following is a description of what I consider the best means of carrying out my invention.

The accompanying drawings form part of this specification.

Figure l is a side elevation of the studding with a few of the boards in place. Fig. 2 is a corresponding view of certain portions on a largerscale,and Fig.3isacross-sectionthrough one of the fastenings on a still larger scale.

d ings.

D D, &c. are my peculiar fastenings. I will describe them as being stamped from sheet iron of medium thicknesssay a little less.

than one-eighth of an inch. These fastenings or double hooks are approximately T-shaped. Each has a hole (Z in its shank, through which hole one of the screws 0 is inserted into the studding and loosely set, so that the fastening may. swing. The other endthe T-shaped endhas an arm I) extending downward adapted to press against the face of the board E below and also an arm D extending upward. I have shown these arms as exactly alike and prefer such construction; but that is not essential. It may for some reasons be preferable to have the lower arm longer than the upper.

D shows certain fasteners in a slightlydrooped position.

I stamp or otherwise impress the neck of the fastening--the part of the shank near the junction of the T endso that it has a longitudinal trough-like form. This gives the required strength to thin metal with only a moderate depth of the shank at the neck near the T end. This allows much variation in width of boards E. When the boards are wide, they may fillthe entire space between the neck of each fastener and that of the next. In other words, the narrowness of the shanks at the points where they extend between the boards allows the boards to have a considerable excess of width above what is usually desirable. Such excess of width will narrow the aperture between the boards I) and correspondingly limit the ventilation of the contents of the crib; but it will not induce any other mischief. My fasteners will each perform its function and allow the insertion of more boards or the removal of those which are already in place without any difiiculty.

When the boards E are narrow, (there may be considerable irregularity in their width,) each board will rest with its lower edge on the shank of the fastener D below, and when the fastener above is swung over it will be engaged; but under such conditions, those which ordinarily obtain, the fastener engages with the board below only by the pressure ofv its lower arm. Its lower arm D presses firmly against the outer face of the board E below; but the shank of the hook does not swing down into contact with the edge of the board. It is held up at D*. (Shown in Fig. 1.) Variation in the width of the boards correspondingly varies the width of the spaces between the boards, but does not involve any difiiculty by raising the joints out of harmony or out of register with the pivots and fastenings. It frequently happens that the boards used for corn-cribs will from different causes vary considerably both in width and thickness. The fastenings will serve with a wide range of both. Under ordinary conditions the fastenings droop a little. If the boards are thinner than usual, they will droop more. If thicker, they will droop less; but the fastening is certain to find its bearing against the face of the board to hold the board below and also be ready to perform its part of holding the board above.

When the crib is outof use, the boards may be stored in any convenient place, the studdings remaining in position, as usual, like ordinary studdings, and the fastenings hanging idly. A number of hooks in Fig. 1 are shown in such position.

Modifications may be made without departing from the principle or sacrificing the advantages of the invention. I have described the pivots C as screws. They may be nails. I have described the fastening I) as made of sheet metal. It may be made of malleable cast-iron or of various other materials. Parts of the invention may be used without the whole. The fastener may be flat throughout and of sufiicient thickness to afford strength without corrugating. The neckI mean the portion of the shank which lies between the edges of the boardsmay be wider without involving any inconvenience; but thus proportioned there is a liability to trouble when the boards have even a slight excess of width.

I attach importance to the arrangement of the pivots (J, so that the fasteners may be supported each by the pressure of its lower arm D against the face of the board. below, because it allows the several boards to vary in width. I attach importance also to the fact that the pivots C are screws, because they enable the crib to be easily and rapidly dismembered and reconstructed when required.

Instead of making all the parts removable the lowest one or several of the lower in the series may be permanently nailed or screwed in place and the work can be conveniently effected at all its stages without their removal.

I claim as my invention 1. In a corn-crib, T-shaped fasteners pivoted on the sides of the studding, in combination therewith and with removable boards arranged to allow the lower arm of each fastener to engage the upper portion of the board below and to present the upper arm to receive and retain the lower portion of the board above, and by turning the fasteners successively upon their pivots to allow the engagement and release of the boards one by one, all substantially as herein specified.

2. In a corn-crib, a series of T-shaped fasteners of trough-section pivoted by screws 0 on the sides of the members of the s'tudding, in combination therewith and with removable boards E arranged-as shown so that the fasteners are supported by the faces of the boards ARTHUR JOHN ANDREWS.

Witnesses:

C. E. POFFENBERGER, H. F. STOUFFER. 

